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Battle of the Build: Peak 2 Peak Gondola

Whistler Blackcomb has always been some kind of bad ass. With overwhelming amounts of snow (31.5 feet of snow this past season) , insane vertical (5,280 feet) , and tons of terrain (8,100 acres), it has been the premier resort since 1966, consistently ranked #1 by Skiing Magazine.

Whistler Blackcomb has always been some kind of bad ass. With overwhelming amounts of snow (31.5 feet of snow this past season) , insane vertical (5,280 feet) , and tons of terrain (8,100 acres), it has been the premier resort since 1966, consistently ranked #1 by Skiing Magazine.

And now they are getting even cooler. For the past year, the people at Whistler Blackcomb as well as some contractors have been hard at work building the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. The largest construction project of it's kind in North America, the gondola will successfully connect Whistler to Blackcomb so that if you want to take turns in Symphony Bowl and Seventh Heaven in the same hour, you can.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming is attempting a similar feat by replacing the old tram with a new one, but it is not to the scale of the Peak 2 Peak.

The Peak 2 Peak Gondola has some very awe-inspiring stats, just to show off to Jackson Hole:

It will be four and a half times higher than the Statue of Liberty

It will be three times longer than the Golden Gate Bridge

It will span a length of 2.7 miles in 11 minutes

It will carry 28 people per cabin, moving 2050 people per hour each way.

The highest point off the ground it will be is 1,427 feet over Fitzsimmons Creek.

The longest length of unsupported track is 1.88 miles.

That and it's at Whistler Blackcomb, so it will be done right. Jackson Hole's Tramformation may be an amazing improvement for that resort, but just the sheer access the Peak 2 Peak will bring outweighs the tram.

Whistler Blackcomb's Peak 2 Peak will be opening in December 2008. Stay tuned to SkiNet to see the latest updates as they happen.